It may not be the best CMS platform in an absolute sense, but it is certainly the most used in the world and its domain continues to grow, also extending to e-Commerce. New data arrives on WordPress, the content management system invented in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little which, according to the latest research, powers just under 40% of all websites , surpassing rivals even in specific segments such as e-Commerce thanks to its plugins.

New data on WordPress: it is now the CMS of 4 out of 10 sites

Updated data on the diffusion of WordPress and other CMSs are provided by W3Techs, which keeps track of statistics on the use of web technologies, including content management systems, operating systems, web hosting providers, first domains level and more.
According to the latest surveys, WordPress powers 39.6% of all websites in 2021, compared to 35% of sites using the platform in 2020.
More generally, counting only the sites that use a CMS , WordPress has a market share of 64.1%, given that a significant number of websites (38.3%) do not use a content management system at all.
In practice, four out of ten sites on the web use WordPress and, analyzing only sites with CMS, WordPress is chosen by almost two out of three sites.

WordPress also dominates in e-Commerce

The data on the diffusion of WordPress confirms what we already knew, while it is another interesting element that comes from reading the statistics : as Matt Southern notes on Search Engine Journal , in fact, even in e-Commerce there is no competition and WP it is the most popular CMS, although it is less “specific” than its rivals.

At an absolute level, in fact, the second CMS of the Web is Shopify , which has a market share of 3.2%: despite this, Shopify is not the most used CMS for e-Commerce, because WordPress also earns this title.

WordPress plugins make a difference

Although Shopify is designed specifically for online commerce , while WordPress is generalist (and generally considered a simple blogging platform), the various plugins that can be installed on the CMS by Mullenweg and Little make the difference.

Thanks to the various WordPress plugins , in fact, owners can use it to transform their website into almost anything they want it to be, as evidenced by the success of WooCommerce , used by about 5% of all websites.

What is WooCommerce and its spread

WooCommerce is a WordPress exclusive plugin designed for the needs of digital shopping : according to recent data , it powers more than 28% of all online stores and is the most popular plugin on the Internet, with a distribution of use of 68%.

Launched on September 27, 2011, WooCommerce is precisely an open source e-Commerce plugin developed exclusively for WordPress and designed to meet the needs of small and large online merchants who use that CMS; yes immediately, the plugin became popular for its ease of installation, open source technology and the customization possibilities it offers to users.

The WooCommerce numbers are impressive:

• It is used by over 3 million active sites (3,317,205 to be precise).
• WooCommerce is used by 4.9% of all websites.
• WooCommerce powers over 28.19% of all online stores.
• 22% of the first million ecommerce sites use WooCommerce.
• 93.7% of all e-commerce websites with WordPress use the WooCommerce plugin.
• WooCommerce is the most popular plugin / module on the internet, with a usage distribution of 68%.
• WooCommerce has been downloaded more than 82 million times (constantly evolving).
• There are 1,267 WooCommerce themes on ThemeForest alone.
• There are 980 WooCommerce plugins on WordPress.org alone.

Limiting ourselves only to the analysis of the choices of the best e-Commerce sites in the world , we can highlight some interesting data. On the sample of the first million digital shopping sites, in fact, WooCommerce is the most present solution with 22% of use, surpassing Shopify and Magento (respectively with 18% and 13%). However, narrowing the field to the top 100,000 sites, the most popular e-Commerce platform becomes Shopify with 21% (WooCommerce is third with 12%), and Shopify is confirmed in the top 10 thousand e-Commerce sites with 23%, with WooCommerce sharing fourth place with Oracle Commerce with 6%.

These results highlight a feature of the WordPress plugin, namely its prevalence for smaller e-Commerce sites – while larger e-Commerce sites prefer specific platforms.

Is WordPress the best CMS in the world?

Returning to the main news, the numbers seem to leave no doubt that WordPress is the best CMS , but in reality this evaluation depends on various factors and the perspective with which we place ourselves.

For example, inexperienced and resource-constrained site owners “may prefer a CMS like Wix or Squarespace that are more beginner-friendly,” although their “lack of functionality can lead intermediate users to look for other solutions,” says Southern. .

Those with more experience with web technology “will certainly appreciate the level of customization offered by WordPress” and it is difficult to argue that WordPress does not meet the needs of most owners, especially “those who use their website to manage a business. activity “. Furthermore, according to the author, “WordPress excels in areas like user experience, mobile usability, security, speed and SEO”.

Ultimately, the article defines “WordPress is the best CMS for most people , which is why it holds well over half the market share of all content management systems.”

This is the ranking of the global diffusion of CMS updated to January 2021 by w3techs.com:

Many people are eagerly awaiting their own website or looking for opportunities to completely change it. They are often asked a common question: which site should they choose for their website? Should they go for a custom website or select an existing WordPress theme?

Obviously, both options are available to the site owner. A personalized website requires a significant investment of time and energy. You will need to create every aspect of the website from scratch. While this is a valid option, it can be difficult for people who have little or no idea of ​​website design. For the majority, WordPress themes are very practical. Either way, an in-depth discussion of the characteristics of each option will provide readers with better insight into the intricacies of both.

What are the features of custom websites?

As the name suggests, a personalized website is generated from the ground up, so there are plenty of benefits you can enjoy here.

•  The biggest advantage is that you can create every aspect of your website exactly how you want it to be.
• You can include basic and advanced features depending on your specific needs. There are no templates or molds to follow that limit the degree of customization.
• You can optimize your website for the search engines by establishing effective collaborations with top SEO companies for professional expertise or you can do it yourself. Creating a custom website from scratch requires a keen technical know-how, so if you don’t know how to create the websites yourself, you can always hire a Web Design Agency to help you with the process.

Custom websites certainly have their own appeal, but for new investors they can pose some challenges.

• First and foremost, custom websites are quite expensive. There are several parameters associated with the profession of a web designer which justify their high fees. The main expenses you incur to create a website are significantly higher than the price of the pre-built WordPress templates.
• Also, you should note that creating custom websites is time consuming. It can easily take months to get everything in order, and even then there is room for human error.

What are WordPress themes?

For small businesses, bloggers, and creators who don’t need a custom website to establish their online presence, using WordPress themes is a smarter option. WordPress themes are actually just as effective as custom websites, and often there is no noticeable difference. You can also customize the pre-existing template to suit your needs, thus creating a successful website and generating leads.

Why are WordPress themes so popular these days?

The recent trend in WordPress themes was sparked by the multiple themes now available on the platform.

Previously, people avoided using WordPress themes for fear of similarity. However, as the number and types of themes have multiplied, more and more people are finding this option particularly lucrative.

Here are some reasons why WordPress themes have changed the popularity graph:

1. Affordability

WordPress themes are pretty cheap, and especially when you compare them with the cost of building a website from scratch. Many nonprofits and start-ups may not have the investments to hire a web design agency.

Premium themes on WordPress, on the other hand, are accessible to everyone. Moreover, you also get free WordPress themes which are also wonderfully designed to look just as good as custom websites. Overall, WordPress themes are cost effective and fairly easy to maintain, requiring no special maintenance services.

2. Mobile friendliness

These days, almost everyone accesses the Internet primarily through their mobile devices. To reach these users, you need to have a website with a mobile-friendly mode.

In terms of custom websites, you will have to pay more to get a website that is easily accessible to mobile users. Some templates were designed for mobile websites and use special coding systems to adjust the website’s resolution according to the screen size.

So you will no longer need two versions of the same website. You need to have a mobile-friendly site if you want your website t to appear at the top of Google search rankings, and WordPress themes offer the best option to achieve that. WordPress themes are designed to be very SEO friendly which is why they are in such demand today.

3. Personalization options

The best thing about these free templates is that despite using free templates, you still have the option to customize your website. This prevents the site from looking like other websites that use the same platform.

Most themes can be customized, allowing you to mold and shape them however you like. If you’re not sure you can customize the template yourself, you can do so by hiring a designer on your behalf – unlike customizing a website, it won’t put a hole in your pocket.

WordPress provides plugins to easily modify the functional attributes of your website. These simple plugins allow you to completely revamp your website. If you want to modify some aspect of the given template to meet your business needs, you can do so by modifying the given code.

4. It is easier to manage the content

WordPress themes come with highly sophisticated content management systems that use smart codes to analyze your content and structure it as a website. This is all done without any coding on your part. All you have to do is provide your texts and images as needed and let the system work its magic.

5. Better to use

You can access all the benefits when choosing a WordPress template. Not only is it affordable, customizable, and better to use, the WordPress platform is created to help people in their quest to build great websites. You don’t need advanced coding skills to build your website anymore – you can leave that up to the platform.

Now, not all WordPress themes can be perfect; some commonly seen disadvantages include things.

• Needlessly stuffed features that hamper your website speed
• Poor or inappropriate coding standards behind amazing design, leading to website plugin compatibility issues. A rigorous review process eliminates these problems